Chapter 5

P.S. In this universe, MVP means Monster versus Player, NOT Most Valuable Player.

Rein was sitting in a pub in Izlude. Onstage, a Bard was singing a song.

I know you're still seeking for revenge. I'll make you really busy so that you will forget about it.

Those sentences were still racing through Rein's mind. He felt a bit guilty and asked himself, 'I can't believe she knew it all along. Why didn't she tell me?'

Meanwhile in Juno, Nova was walking around the city with Luna. Nova was whistling and Luna kept silent throughout the journey. They walked over to a big castle at the west.

"Here, this is it, the Sage's castle" said Luna. "What do you need to do inside?"

Nova gave a bitter smile and said, "I need to get to the book of Ymir…"

"WHAT!?" screamed Luna. "Do you mean you want to do the 'rebirth'?"

Nova didn't answer and walked inside the castle. Reluctantly, Luna quickly followed her. They finally reached the room where the book of Ymir was kept. Nova stretched out her hand to open the book. Inside, her mind was racing. 'If I am reborn, I will become a novice again and Rein will be busy training me. But, is it fair for them?' In the end, Nova turned her back on the book and walked out.

"What happened? I thought you wanted to be reborn." exclaimed Luna.

"I'm not ready, but soon I will be. Sorry if it was too much trouble…" said Nova. "Let's go back to Prontera."

Nova took a blue gem and opened a portal to Prontera. Then, she accompanied Luna to a Kafra staff.

"Sorry I can't accompany you to back Payon," said Nova.

"Yeah, thanks for wasting my time." said Luna sarcastically. After that she asked the Kafra staff to teleport her back to Payon.

After Luna was gone, Nova sighed and walked back to her house. "I think I'm going go for an easy hunt," said Nova to herself, walking to the south gate. She hunted for some Porings, Lunatics and Creamies. Suddenly, an Alchemist walked near the south gate. He pulled out a stick from his backpack. Nova quickly hid behind the nearest bushes. "What is that Alchemist doing with that Bloody Dead Branch? Is he trying to summon an MVP?"

The Alchemist broke the Bloody Dead Branch. From the pieces of the Branch, came out a MVP. The Lord of Death had come! The alchemist ran back into the south gate. Nova gasped. The Lord of Death rode his undead horse and an army of dead spirits surrounded him. Nova froze on the spot in fear.

Suddenly, a boy and a girl came out of the gate. They were no other than Raimundo and Kimiko. Coming to her senses, Nova jumped out of the bushes and screamed, "Raimundo! Kimiko! Run!"

"What? Nova? What are you doing here?" asked Raimundo.

The Lord of Death walked over to Nova. All the color in Nova's face drained away and she slowly stepped back. "J…just run! Hurry!"

"What is that thing?" asked Kimiko.

"It's a MVP! Run away before it kills you!" screamed Nova.

Raimundo placed himself in front of Kimiko, trying to shield her. "Raimundo! No!" screamed Kimiko.

"Both of you get back in town now! I'll try to distract it!" screamed Nova. The Lord of Death realized that there were some kids behind him. He turned away from Nova and rode his horse quickly towards Raimundo and Kimiko. "No!" screamed Nova. The Lord of Death's sword was ready to slice them up and bring them to Niffleheim.

Raimundo stayed in his spot, refusing to move even an inch backwards. The Lord of Death was just a few feet away from them. Suddenly, Lance and Loras jumped out of nowhere and carried them away from him in a flash.

Knowing that its prey was gone, the Lord of Death turned back to Nova and once again tried to kill her. "Holy Light!! Holy Light!!" cast Nova. The attacks didn't do much damage; it was as though something was blocking her powers. Nova was shaking. A big undead was now facing her. She wished to run but she couldn't, because her body was petrified with fear. The Lord of Death raised his sword, readying its attack. Nova closed her eyes tightly. However…

"Magnum Break!!" shouted someone. The Lord of Death was flung away.

Nova slowly opened her eyes. "Rein!" she shouted in relief.

"Sorry for being late. At least you're safe," said Rein. "Hey Corin, help me out over here!" Another Knight appeared. Behind him were a Priest, a Hunter and a Wizard.

"I sure am glad that I brought my crew," said the Knight called Corin.

After bringing Raimundo and Kimiko somewhere safe, Lance and Loras joined them.

"Lia! Cast Aspersio!" commanded Corin. Lia was a Priest, just like Nova. Lia cast Aspersio so that their weapons would become Holy-type weapons. The Lord of Death stood up and ran to them.

"Arrow Shower!!" shouted a Hunter called Draif. The arrows that Draif shot split and stabbed the Lord of Death.

Then, Serenity, the Wizard, cast a spell, "Soul Strike!!"

"Let's go Rein!" shouted Corin. Rein, Corin, Loras and Lance ran towards the Lord of Death.

"Bowling Bash!!" shouted Corin and Rein. The Lord of Death became stunned because of that attack.

Taking advantage of the time while the Lord of Death was stunned, Loras and Lance attacked it. "Sonic Blow!!" they cast.

From behind him, Draif ran towards the Lord of Death and put a trap under his horse.

"Land Mine!!" shouted Draif. "Everybody, get back!"

All of them ran as far as they could from the trap. The Lord of Death regained consciousness and was about to run towards them in rage. He had barely moved when Draif's trap exploded because he had cast 'Blast Mine'.

"Magnificat!! Suffragium!! Angelus!! Impositio Manus!! Kyrie Ellison!!" cast Lia. She supported 6 people at once while Nova just stood in fear.

Corin threw a Javelin at Rein, who instinctively caught it. "Let's go!" shouted Corin

Both of them ran to the Lord of Death and shouted, "Brandish Spear!!" Then, they flipped back and threw their spears at the Lord of Death, "Spear Boomerang!!" The Lord of Death was knocked out. Both of them ran towards it again and cast, "Spear Stab!!" The Lord of Death fell. He didn't move.

Rein threw the Javelin back to Corin, "Good thing we made..." Before Rein could finish his sentence, the Lord of Death woke up and grabbed both Rein and Corin's necks. They both struggled to breathe.

"Ugh…" Rein was running out of air.

"Hold on, bro!" shouted Corin while he kept struggling.

"I'm trying!" shouted Rein back.

"Flying Kick!!" shouted a Tae Kwon Boy. The Lord of Death accidentally released both of them and once again, was flung into a wall. Rein and Corin coughed and then tried to get as much air as they could.

"I don't know… who you are … but thanks anyway…" said Rein.

"Don't mention it," said the Tae Kwon Boy while he was taking his position. "Round House Stance!! Heel Drop Stance!! Tornado Stance!! Spin Kick Stance!! Tumbling!!"

Suddenly, a girl Ninja and a boy Gunslinger came out, panting. "You're late!" said the Tae Kwon Boy.

"Sorry, it was hard to escape from the huge crowd at Payon," said the Ninja.

"Sherr!" called Nova, although she was still shaking.

"Sister Nova!" called the Ninja named Sherr happily.

"How do you get here? I thought you were still enjoying your trip to Amatsu!" asked Nova.

"No time for stories, we need to beat that thing first," said Sherr.

"Let's go team!" said the Gunslinger, readying his Shotgun.

"You're too excited, Lone," said the Tae Kwon Boy to the Gunslinger.

"Likewise, Sano," replied Lone. "Flip Coin!! Flip Coin!! Flip Coin!!" cast Lone. A sphere appeared each time Lone's coin showed heads. Soon, there were three spheres circling him. Lone targeted his shotgun at the Lord of Death and shouted, "Full Blast!!"

Sherr ran toward it while taking out a green orb called a Wind Stone. "Lightning Jolt!!" cast Sherr. A bolt of lightning struck the Lord of Death. Then, she took a blue orb called a Water Stone and cast another spell, "Watery Evasion!!" The ground was filled with water. She took another Water Stone, "Snow Flake Draft!!" A giant hunk of ice hit the Lord of Death and because of the Watery Evasion, it caused more damage.

From afar, Sano readied to attack, "Flying Kick!!" The Lord of Death was flung away again. The three of them kept on fighting. The others were just gaping, as they couldn't believe that they got more help.

"Hey, are we just going to stand here and watch those kids attack the MVP?" asked Serenity.

"No, we're not!" replied Draif. He took out his bow and arrows and shouted, "Arrow Repel!!" The Lord of Death was flung into the wall again. The three newcomers gasped.

"I thought you guys didn't want to fight the Lord of Death anymore," said Sano.

Serenity cast a magic spell, "Frost Driver!!" The Lord of Death was frozen. Using the time while he was frozen, she cast another spell, "Jupiter Thunder!!" The Lord of Death was squeezed into the wall.

"Impositio Manus!! Aspersio!! Blessing!! Increase Agility!!" Lia was busy supporting them.

Corin and Rein were already exhausted. They just sat on the ground while regaining their strength. Nova just cast Sanctuary to help them recover faster. Suddenly, Rein stood up. He remembered one skill that would be risky, but useful. "Hey Corin, we haven't tried that skill," said Rein.

"Are you crazy? This is not the time for jokes!" said Corin, in an angry tone.

"I'm not joking! That skill might be useful in times like this!" said Rein.

"I'm not risking my life with that skill!!" refused Corin.

"You won't, but I will!" said Rein, pulling out his Two-Handed Swords and running toward the Lord of Death.

Corin stood up and tried to stop him, but his limited strength forced him to sit back down, "Somebody stop him! He's trying to do the Auto-Berserk!"

"What!?" screamed Nova, shocked.

"Auto-Berserk!!" shouted Rein.

"Rein, don't do it!" screamed Nova.

She tried to run and stop him but Lia pulled her back, "No, it's too dangerous to go near Rein now!" explained Lia.

Sherr, Sano and Lone ran back, tried to avoiding Rein. Rein was raging. It was as though he had cast Provoke on himself. His strength increased but his defense decreased. He attacked the Lord of Death blindly.

"Sense!!" cast Serenity. With that skill, she could see how much strength the Lord of Death had left. "The Lord of Death will die soon if this keeps up…"she said.

However, Rein stopped raging before the Lord of Death fell. Nova quickly cast Heal on him. "Rein! Run!" screamed Nova.

Rein ran back to the group. The Lord of Death ran towards them as well. While he was readying his sword, he suddenly fell from his horse and died. "What happened?" asked Rein.

Behind where the Lord of Death stood, Lone stood, aiming his shotgun at it. "Glad I could make the last Full Blast…" said Lone.

Nova and Lia cast Sanctuary on the ground. All of them sat in the big square and slowly, their strength recovered.

"I can't believe there's a MVP here," said Rein.

"Umm… actually…" Nova started to tell them everything. All about the Alchemist who summoned the MVP with the Bloody Dead Branch.

"We must put him in jail at once!" said Corin.

"But where is he now?" asked Lia.

"WAIT! Where are Raimundo and Kimiko?" asked Nova.

"There, under the tree," said Loras, pointing at a tree. "They fainted because they thought that they got attacked by the Lord of Death."

Nova ran over to them. They were unconscious, but otherwise, fine. Nova gave a little sigh and smiled. She lied beside them as well.

"You know Rein, your mistress sure is strange," said Draif.

"And also mysterious," whispered Rein to himself.

"What did you say?" asked Lia.

"Nothing," replied Rein. He then walked to the tree and carried Raimundo on his back and Kimiko in his arms.

Nova stood up and walked back to Izlude with them.

"Well, I'll head back to Payon then," said Sherr. Sano and Lone followed her.

In the town, Nova stopped abruptly and said, "I think I forgot something…"

"You forgot to welcome Sherr after her trip to Amatsu?" asked Rein.

"Right! She must be heading back to Payon right now…" said Nova, disappointed.

"It's okay, you'll get your chance!" replied Rein. "Hey, why didn't you help us back then?"

"I… I was scared…" said Nova.

"There's nothing to fear but fear itself. There's no point of being scared," said Rein.

"No… you don't understand…" said Nova quietly.

"Anyways, we need to go somewhere safe. At least until these two awaken. I think somebody is against our mission, and is out to get us." said Rein